Swing.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

G. E. MBLLEN.

SWING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 27. 1905.

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No. 821,813. PATBNTED MAY 29, 1906. G. E. MELLBN.

SWING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 27, 1905- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

GEORGE E. MELLEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWING.

Application filed March 2'7,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MELLEN,.a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Swings, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference in the different figures indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to so combine a swing with a motor in which power is applied to a crank that the momentum of the swing may be utilized during a part of its vibration to arrest the movement of the crank, while the power exerted by the latter may be caused to give an impulse to the swing upon one side only of its normal position when at rest. I accomplish this object by means of a pitman so connected, direct-1y or indirectly, to the crank as to stand at an angle to the suspending-bars of the swing when the latter is at rest, thereby establishing such a relation between the crank-pin, pitman, and the bars of the swing that the vibration of the latter in one direction will not be sufficient to enable the crank to complete its rotation until the reverse action of the swing shall have carried it back past its normal position of rest, when the full power of the crank may be applied thereto, thereby accomplishing by means of a crank and pitman, coacting with the momentum of the swing, what would otherwise require a more or less complicated mechanism-such, for example, as an escapement.

A further object is to prevent the noise caused by the sudden movement of the crank past the dead-center.

To these ends my invention consists in the combination of elements hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a swing embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 isa like view of a swing, showing a modified construction. Fig. 8 is a front view thereof. Fig. 4is an enlarged side View of the motor with a portion of the casing removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the crank, showing means for cushioning the same to prevent noise. Fig. 6 is a side view of the construction shown in Fig. 1, in which the swing is shown Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1906.

1905. Serial No. 252,223.

in its extreme rearward position, a portion of the motor being broken away to show the position of the crank; and Fig. 7 is a like view showing the swing in its extreme forward position, together with the relative position of the crank.

Referring to the drawings, a designates generally the frame of the swing, which consists of the usual inclined standards I) b at each end, connected at the top by means of a cross-bar c, at the bottom by cross-bars d (2, while the inclined supports are securedto each other at the bottom by means of brace-bars cf. The swing, consisting of the usual suspending-bars g g and seat h, is suspended from the bar 0 by means of screw-eyes "L, Fig. 3, or in any well-known way.

Mounted upon the brace-bar e is a motor (better shown in Fig. 4,) consisting of a coiled spring and train of gears connected with a crank-shaft having thereon a crank-arm k, the wrist-pin of which is connected to a pitnected at m, Fig. 1, to the bar 9 of the swing. As shown in said figure, said bar is in its normal or vertical position, and the crank-shaft of the motor is so placed with reference to the vertical plane of said swing when at rest that the pitman Z will stand at an acute angle thereto. When the motor spring is wound and an initial impulse is imparted to the swing, the latter is moved by the crank through the pushing action of the pitman to the extreme position upon the right hand, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 6, when the further rotation of the crank serves to reverse the action of the pitman until the crank-pin is at its lowest point, which it reaches when the swing is in a substantially vertical plane. The momentum of the swing, however, carries it forward, but not to a sufficient extent to enable the crank to complete its revolution. This is owing to the fact that by reason of the placing of the crank-shaft at the left of the vertical plane of the swing when at rest the swing would need to vibrate farther upon that side than upon the other to free the crank. Inasmuch, however, as the reverse is true and the movement is less upon that side, the pitman serves to lock the crankarm and arrest its movement in the position shown in Fig. 7 until the swing shall have reman Z, having its upper end jointedly con versed its action and moved far enough in an opposite direction to free the crank-arm and permit it to rotate. The result of this construction is that while the swing is caused to vibrate as usual the vibratory impulses consisting, as stated, of a pushing and pulling action of the pitman are imparted to the swing only upon one side of itsplane of rest. This is proven by the fact that the crank is arrested during the time of movement of the swing forward from and back to its plane of rest, and by the further fact that if the swing be set in motion and arrested arbitrarily at its plane of rest it will tend to vibrate back of that plane at a more rapid rate, while the rotation of the crank will not be arrested at all. As soon, however, as the swing is permitted to assume its normal vibration its momentum will cause it to be carried forward of the normal plane of rest, when the movement of the crank will be arrested until its return.

The principle involved is not confined to the construction shown in Fig. 1, in which the pitman is interposed directly between the swing-bar and crank, but may be applied in other ways, and it is immaterial whether the pitman, by which the swing is directly actu- 'of rest.

'ated, be connected immediately to the crank or not or to the upper or lower portion of the swing-bar, provided it isplaced at an angle to the vertical plane of rest of the swing and caused to reciprocate longitudinally.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown a modification in which the lower end of a pitman n is jointedly connected at 0 to the barg of the swing. The upper end of said pitman is' jointedly connected, by means of a pin 1), to a pitman q, the lower end of which is attached to the wristpin of the crank 76. A link 1" also has one end connected to the pin 1), while the other is connected in like manner to the frame by means of a pin 8. Reciprocating motion may be imparted through the crank and pitman q to the pitman 'n, the upper end of which is controlled by the link 1', so as to stand normally at an angle to the plane of rest of the swing. When the swing is set in motion, the downward ull of the crank causes the pitman to pus the swing back, while the upward pull draws it forward to its plane of rest. The further movement is caused by the momentum of the swing; but its shorter path results in the arrest of the crank until it again returns back of its plane This form will also continue to vibrate back of its plane of rest and with increased speed if its momentum is arrested at that point.

In the operation of the motor the crankarm is caused to move past its dead-center with a quick jerking motion. In order to prevent the noise caused thereby, I provide cushioning elements t t, Fig. 5, consisting of pieces of rubber or other yielding material,

which are attached to the inner face of the bar e and so placed as to extend into the pathway of the crank. As the latter rotates it strikes against the cushions, which serve to deaden the sound while yielding to permit its passage.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which a pitman is interposed between the crank and the pitman attached to the swing and the link 1" is used to control the secondary pitman, the position of the motor is not limited to that shown, provided it be so placed as to reciprocate the pitman n. For example, it is obvious that it might be placed at the top of the frame with like re sults.

My improved swing may-be used either as a toy, as a baby-swing in place of a cradle, or as a full-size swing for adults; but it is more particularly intended for the former urpose.

As a result of the construction escribed the swing will vibrate twice as long as it otherwise would were the pitman to be adjusted to stand normally in the plane of the swing when at rest.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination with one of pending-bars of a swing, of a pitman having one end jointedly connected to said bar, said pitman being arranged to stand normally at an angle to the plane of rest of the swing, a crank in operative connection with said pitman, and means for actuating said crank, whereby the latter may serve to impart vibratory impulses to the swing upon one side of its plane of rest, while its rotation may be arrested during the vibration of saidswing upon the other side of said plane.

2. The combination with a suspending-bar of a swing, of a pitman jointedly connected thereto at one end, said pitman bein arranged to stand at an acute angle to said bar when the swing is at rest, and means for reciprocating said pitman to impart a maximum movement thereto only upon one side of the plane of rest of the swing.

3. The combination with a suspending-bar of a swing, of a primary pitman having its lower end jointedly connected to said bar, said pitman being arranged to stand at an acute angle to said bar when the swing is at rest, a link jointedly connected to the frame and to the upper end of said pitman for guiding the movement thereof, a secondary pitman jointedly connected to said primary pitman, and a motor and crank for actuating said secondary pitman.

4.- The combination with a suspending-bar of a swing, of a primary pitman having its lower end jointedly connected to said bar near the lower end of the latter, said pitman being arranged to stand at an acute angle to said bar when the swing is at rest, a link the y sus- IIO jointedly connected to the frame and to the upper end of said pitman, a secondary pitman having its upper end ointedly connected to the upper end of said primary pitman and a motor at or near the bottom of the i In testimony whereof I have signed this ing Witnesses, this 22d day of March, 1905. GEORGE E. MELLEN. Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, CARRIE E. JORDAN.

swing having a crank connected to the lower end of said secondary pitman.

specification, in the presence of tWo subscrib- 

